Thursday, February 15, 2018

No Holds Barred: Qin Yunquan on the Necessity of Self-Defense for Women

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with martial artist and catch wrestler Qin Yunquan, who is the CEO, co-founder, and chief instructor for women's and children's self-defense at the Kapap Academy Singapore.

We spoke with her by Skype Wednesday.

While providing training in martial arts and combat sports, including catch wrestling, she has gotten both national and international recognition for her work teaching self-defense classes to women and girls.

"Self-defense has always been my pet project, and I always love talking about it, just simply to increase the level of awareness, and to address some of the misconceptions that people have in relating to self-defense," she said.

"And I really just hope that, given how the world is going and it seems to be trouble brewing on the site, I think it's really important that people don't see self-defense as a recreation activity, as something that they want.

"I really think they need to see it as a necessity.

"And I'm doing my best to help people see that. But really, I think each person has to be responsible for their own personal safety, and you learn something or two.

"Hopefully we never have to use it, but I think we'll be pretty glad that we know these skills when we have to."

We discussed how her work, in particular her instruction in self-defense for women, helped earn her a spot as a finalist for the 2017 Singaporean of the Year Award; how she plans to expand her work regionally and internationally; how self-defense differs from martial arts in that you must first try not to engage the other person, use psychology, and just get out; how the majority of her students are brand-new to any self-defense or martial arts training; how the #MeToo movement has influenced people in Singapore, although it is not as strong as it is in the U.S.; the importance of the case of convicted serial sexual predator Larry Nassar, former doctor for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University; why she plans to bring this self-defense instruction to India; the potential for catch wrestling in India; the growth of the grappling community in Singapore; why she is taking a break from competition now; and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

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The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is sponsored by:

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

Trans Boxing, organizing boxing training for transgender and gender non-conforming people, for fitness and self-defense. For more information, go to TransBoxing.org.